Keep Calm, Brew On

"To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest."  - Pema Chodron

I've, somehow, survived 5 days of the new job.  Two words to sum up my week:

cultural. differences.  

Here, you don't need to wear a hat [part of your uniform] if you've visited the salon within the last week.  Here, its ok to chit chat on the phone with your amor while ringing up a customer.  Here, its ok to gossip about the new girl [me] and stare her up and down while she is standing a mere 5 feet away from you.

Source

Part of me thinks I bit off more than I can chew - starting Monday I'll be implementing new standards and revolutionizing the way that all CARMEL stores function.  I'm determined to balance CARMEL, respecting Dominican culture while adding my Americana customer service and efficiency.  

I know that some days will be more stressful than others, but I'm up for the challenge.  As for the difficult days, I'll try to keep in mind this quote: 

"Finish every day and be done with it.  You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can.  Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." - Unknown